Buckeyes Bloomington Bound for Indiana Relays

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men's track and field team hits the road once again for the Indiana Relays this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, at Gladstein Fieldhouse in Bloomington, Ind.

Over 25 schools and more than 1,200 student-athletes are set to attend. Events are scheduled to begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. ET Friday and 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday. A complete recap will be available after the meet at www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Scarlet and Gray Ranked No. 27 in USTFCCCA Poll, Second in Great Lakes RegionOhio State is the 27th-ranked team in the nation according to the first regular-season edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Team Computer Rankings.

Ohio State is the second-ranked squad in the Great Lakes region according to the USTFCCCA rankings behind fellow Big Ten member Indiana.

“We are not satisfied with a 27th ranking," Ed Beathea, head coach of the Buckeyes, stated. "Our goal is to be a Top 15 team, so we still have some work to do and I am confident we will get there."

The Buckeyes are one of six Big Ten men’s programs in the Top 30. Arkansas is the top-ranked team in the country according to the poll, while Florida comes in at No. 2 and Oregon No. 3.

Buckeyes in the Individual Top 25Eleven members of the men's track and field team are ranked within the Top 25 in several event areas nationally according to Track & Field Results Reporting System (www.TFRRS.org). A look at where the Buckeyes sit:

Buckeyes Signing Class Ranked Sixth in the Nation Ohio State has landed its second-consecutive Top 10 recruiting class according to Track and Field News.

After bringing in the second-ranked class in the nation a year ago, Ohio State’s freshman class is ranked No. 6 in the latest issue of Track and Field News. The class, which is only the second for Beathea since taking over full-time head coaching duties, also marks the second year in a row that the Buckeyes have had the top-ranked class in the Big Ten.

“We are very excited to hear about our Top 10 ranking of our recruiting class," Beathea said. "I appreciate the efforts of my staff. We have restructured the way we recruit and clearly it is paying off for the program. This honor is a direct result of a lot of hard work by our entire team. All of the signees will represent the university and program very well.”

Last Time OutThe Buckeyes competed at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., Jan. 24-25.

Kunze won the heptathlon with 5304 points and placed first in three of the seven events. He defeated runner-up George Wayda of Illinois by nearly 300 points, and his winning score ranks 10th in Division I so far this season.

Another top performer was senior Justin Hines, who used a personal-best time of 8.03 to place fourth overall in the second section of the 60-meter hurdles.

In addition, the 4x400-meter relay team – Rispress, Austin, Page and Bruton – combined for a fourth-place time of 3:09.00, the 14th-fastest time in Division I this season.

Up NextThe Buckeyes travel to Notre Dame, Ind., for the Meyo Invitational next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8.